Possibility of Democratic Community Broadcasting and Digital Society

Media Environment of Social Movements for Local Society

Abstract

“Democratic Media Activism” (DMA) to get media governance back to civil society from commercial and political power is progressing its approach not only in Europe and the North America but also in Asia. In the past, it was difficult to have such an influence using small print media or mini-comi. At present, the practical democracy movement has spread through the electronic media, simultaneously empowering civic journalism. Activists and movements use the electronic media to collect information as resources for discussion and negotiation, and they create databases without excessive reliance on the assistance of editors from various mass media.
On the other hand, the social movements form organizations. Under the law, they are required to achieve economical sustainability and be open to the public. Movements need, in this situation, face-to-face and community-based support and independent management ; even they can enter into collaborations with and earn subsidies from the government and private corporations.
The phrase DMA might appear unusual, but we can define it as sustaining those people who join the democratic movement and those who primarily participate in and encourage the local media. Such democratic organizations need lesser support from several supporters in the community to sustain DMA.
From November-December 2005, FM-YY held a symposium to celebrate its tenth anniversary. It is important for the community media to independently have a local flow of economic resources without reliance on mass-investment, and I report the symposium in this paper. This paper also includes discussions about the social information circulation system in daily community life.